River Murray flows into SA drop by half

The flow rate into South Australia was recorded at 25,000 megalitres a day last week, a drop of about 20,000 megalitres from the previous week.

Richard Brown from the Department of Environment and Water says the flows will continue to drop over the coming weeks - until environmental releases from New South Wales start to flow through.

"When the flows occur from the Menindee Lakes in the coming weeks, there'll be a further pulse in the hydrograph and I think at that time the flows will increase from about 14-15,000 up back into the low 20s," Mr Brown said.

"It's not hugely significant but it's a further reasonable pulse."

The drop in river flows at the border has been attributed to seasonal factors.

"The reason is partly a change in season, the upstream storages are making sure they are full, so lake Victoria is being filled to capacity," Mr Brown said.

"People are hanging onto water and there is also an increase in irrigation demand occurring."

Recreational river users have been advised to be aware of the drop in water levels.

"Near the locks, downstream of locks, you may see a relatively significant drop in water levels, of possibly several hundred millimetres and therefore anyone who's using the river, whether it's mooring boats or using the river for irrigation, should be aware that those levels may drop off just below the locks," Mr Brown said.